Okay, first off, not bashing anyone, but the phrase "book smarts" really riles me up. It's ********. It's always used in a way to demean someone as "just being book smart" or as if to refer to the fact that they are somehow deficient in other ways. I know I'm projecting but let me vent for a second. My whole life I was demeaned as just being "book smart." Meaning I was just good at memorizing stuff. Learning new subjects and content isn't just about memorizing stuff. And this "memorization/book smarts" was also somehow applied to the fact that I played four instruments and was a talented artist. Those were all book smarts. And for some reason, people like to tell you that your just book smart and someone else is street smart like you're not street smart too. I was freaking street smart enough not to get hit by my father for stupid ****, wasn't I? Street smart enough not to get beat up on Halloween like my oh-so-street-smart brother, wasn't I?

Okay, obviously that's a trigger for me. I acknowledge and appreciate that the person who mentioned the phrase before me did not mean it that way. They meant successful in academic work, which is far more than just memorizing stuff. Being good in academics takes critical thinking and problem-solving. It's so often tossed aside like "you're book smart" like everyone is or like it doesn't take any work to master a subject.

So, on that note, I have often pretended to be dumber than I am because I was put down for being smart or talented or successful. At this point, I don't care. I'm tired of living small and doing small because I'm afraid of someone else's feelings. And that's usually what it's about. Others get hurt because we're special and have some talent they don't have.

I can't waste time worrying about how other people feel about themselves because I am living to my full potential.

I don't know if I got off topic. Sorry if I did. But this really hit home with me.